Combination heater and drier



April 17, 1951 A. T. MANACHER COMBINATION HEATER AND DRIER Filed Feb. 8,1950 6 67 00 a o 7/ I35 8 '0 g 1 i i o: o o; 9

a/ 49 55 FIG 3 37 4/ a9 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ALFHETMANACl/ER April1951 A. T. MANACHER 2,549,106

COMBINATION HEATER AND DRIER Filed Feb. 8, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOI? ALHE'ED 7. MA/VACHER A77UR/VEY Patented Apr. 17, 1 951 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 7 2,549,10 COMBINATION HEATER AND DRIER Alfred T.Manacher, New York, N. Y.

Application February 8, 1950, Serial No. 143,045

8 Claims.

This invention relates to combination heating and drying devices.mor.eparticularly to a unit adapted for use as a dish drier and a spaceheater.

It is primarily within the contemplation of my invention to provide asingle device capable of several uses, including the effective dryingand sterilization of dishes and silverware, the preheating thereof, aswell as certain other uses to be hereinafter referred to. And in thisaspect of my invention it is an important object to improve uponconventional appliances for dish drying purposes, by providin arelatively simple, and portable device which will be more effective andrapid in action than the conventional evaporating rack, and less costlyand of considerably smaller bulk than the conventional mechanical dishdriers.

It is also an object to provide my invention with means capable ofserving as a permanent storing rack for dishes, and which can be readilyand conveniently employed for heating dishes that may be required forhot plate service.

it is still a further object of my invention to provide a device of theclass abovesmentioned which can readily-be collapsed, by a simplemanipulation, and in such collapsed position either be stored, or usedas a space heater. And in the last-mentioned aspect of my invention itis a further important object to employ .a dish supporting rack asprotective means, in the form of a grating, to prevent personal contactwith the heating elements or fan.

And it is also within my contemplation to further employ said dish rack,when the device is used as a heater, for simultaneously drying smallarticles, such as a dish rag, a comb, a brush or other small objects.And in the laccom plishment of this objective, it is a further object toemploy a special form of dish rack providing a shelf for theaccommodation of said articles to be dried.

It is also n object of this invention to enable it to be employed forpersonal drying purposes, such as the drying of the hair or hands.

Still a further object of my invention is to provide an air circulatingsystem which will effectively direct heated air to the articles to bedried, without directly traversing the electric heating elements,thereby avoiding a common defect in electric heating units where suchdirect air current action on the heating elements causes an undesirablelocalized cooling thereof. And in this aspect of my invention it is afurther object to provide optimum heat distribution v 2 throughout theinterior thereof, by permitting the'heating elements to remain protectedagainst cooling drafts and thereby of equal temperatures throughouttheir extent.

It is also Within my contemplation to p o de a device of the classdescribed having a cover movable between an upper and a lower position,in which retractable cover-support ng means a e provided to hold thecover in its upper position, said coveresupporting means also serving ashandles for moving .01 carrying the whole unit.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawings andthe description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in cross section, of a preferredembodiment of my me vention.

Figure 211s a plan View thereof, fragments being broken away forclarity.

Figure ;3 is a crossesectional view taken along the line .,3..;3 ofFigure 2, but with the cover in its lower position.

Figure .4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a cover support andrelated parts taken along the line 4+4 of Figure 2 but showing thesupport in its retracted position,

F gure 5, is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the upport in i ovrw upp rt e position.

Figure ,6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view ,of the floor attachingmeans taken along the line 6.. 6 of Figure 3,.

Figure -7 is a bottom view of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the unit in its side position and withthe floor removed.

Figure 9 is a cr ss-s tion l View t k n al the line ,9-9 of Figure 3 andwith the dish rack and Wirin e n removed a y- F sur is a cr ss-sect onalVi w tak n al n the line i l-ID of Figure 9 Figure 1 s a ra me ta y c ose t nal vi w of the cover locking means. taken along the line n of Fiure 9.

Fi u s a ra me ta p r ve view o the cover and r la ed p ts s w n a modfication of my invention.

T e hea nd d n un m nv t p com r ses a su stant al rectangular ca in nea l d ig a ed a .2' hi h ac s .a-b se o t e un an also h u the dish-r nelements, and a cover 23 which issupportable in an ,upper position abovethe cover, as shown in i u e in a lower 0 Q 1 't F 99lZi.. 1l s ed W hint c ve as show in erc and which mounts the heater and fan elements to belater described. The casing has two lateral side walls 25 and 21 and twolateral end walls 29 and 3i; the lower edges of these lateral wallsbeing turned inwardly to form a flange 33 which extends peripherallyaround the bottom of the casing. The upper edges of the walls may bebeaded as shown at 35 for purposes of appearance and convenience inhandling. A floor is separably attached to the bottom of the casing, thefloor being in the form of a rectangular plate 37 peripherally spacedfrom the flange 33 to leave a space 39 therebetween. The means forseparably attaching floor plate 31 to the casing may comprise aplurality of brackets 4.I fixed to the bottom of the casing andextending'downwardly therefrom, as shown in detail in Figure 6. Thelowermost portion of each of these brackets comprises an aperturedsection 43 which is adapted to receive a corresponding snap button 45flxed to plate 37. The lower flanged section 41 of each of the snapbuttons may also serve to hold a foot member 49 in place below plate 31.

A dish rack for holding dishes and other eating utensils is disposedwithin the casing in the lower portion thereof. The rack comprises aplurality of parallel wires 53 having end sections '55 and 51 parallelto the bottom of the casing and with their terminals resting on flange33. The intermediate section BI of each of the wires is substantially inan inverted U-shape when the unit is resting as shown in Figure 3, thesides 63 and B5 of the inverted U being parallel to the sides 25 and 21respectively of the casing and inclined slightly with respect to walls29 and 3I. Wires 61 extend across and at right angles to end sections 55and 51 of wires 53 and serve to connect the latter so as to form a rigidstructure adapted to support dishes in a manner such as is shown inFigure 1. A basket 69 is positioned at one end of the rack and isdesigned to hold silverware in proper position for drainage, drying orstoring purposes.

The cover 23 comprises two lateral side walls II and 33, two lateral endwalls I5 and TI, and a roof I9 connecting the lateral walls along thetop edges thereof. The lateral walls are so proportioned as to fittelescopically within casing 21 when the cover is moved to its lowerposition shown in Figure 3, feet 8| attached to the lower marginal edgeof the cover resting on flange 33 between wires 61 of the rack when thecover is in said lower position. Centrally mounted in roof I9 is a fan83 comprising a fan motor 85 mounted above the roof and having a shaft81 projecting therethrough, and fan blades 89 disposed below the roofand mounted so as to blow airdownwardly when the motor is operating. Aventilated fan motor housing 9I is mounted over the fan motor, andopenings 93 in the roof immediately above the fan blades are arranged ina circular fashion so as to allow an adequate supply of air to flowdownwardly through the roof when the fan is running. Handles 95 aremounted on the roof outwardly of said openings and are so arranged as topermit easy handling of the cover when moving it into or out of thecasing.

A plate 9'! is suspended from roof I9 by means of brackets 99, and isdesigned to act both as a support for the heating elements and as aguard for the fan. Plate 91 is substantially rectangular in shape andhas two downwardly directed side flanges IUI and I03, and two upwardlydirected end flanges I05 and I0! on the marginal edges thereof. Thecentral portion of plate 91 is apertured to provide an air passagewayI09 from the fan, and a grillwork III integral with the plate ispositioned over the passageway as a protective guard. Two heatingelements I13 and H5 are suspended from plate 91 by a plurality of spacedinsulative brackets I I1 and are disposed along the side marginalportions of the plate inwardly from flanges IIlI and I03 and in lateralflanking relation with air passageway I09. These heating elements may beof the conventional resistance-wire type and preferably are of suchcapacity as to provide suflicient heat to substantially raise thetemperature of air circulating within the unit when the fan is inoperation.

The cover is maintained in its upper position by a pair of oppositelydisposed supports I I9 and I2I mounted on walls 29 and 3| respectively,the structures of which are shown in detail in Figures 3, 4 and 5. Eachsupport comprises a pair of spring plates I23 fixed at their lowerterminals to the outside of the casing by means of rivets I25 and eachhaving a cover-supporting or rest arm I27 at its upper end and extendingthrough a slot I29 in the casing. The undersurface of the rest arm hasat its inner terminal a slight depression I3I and at its outer terminalanother depression I33, and the proportions are such that the rest armis pressed by the spring tension against the lower edge of the slot sothat either depression I3I or I33 will snap into place on the edge, thuskeeping the arm either in a retracted position out of the path of thecover, as shown in Figure 4, or in a supporting position as shown inFigure 5, in which the lower seamed edge I35 of the cover will besupported by the rest arm. A handle I3'I of insulative material connectsthe upper portions of each pair of spring plates and extends outwardlyfrom the casing. Handles I3I may therefore serve both as moving meansfor the supports and as handles for carrying the unit.

The unit is adapted for use either in the upright position shown inFigure 1 or in the side position shown in Figure 8. For the latterpurpose side wall 21 has attached thereto a pair of supports I39 at thelower end thereof, whereby the unit will rest firmly in its sideposition upon supports I39 and on beaded edge 35, as shown in Figure 10.To hold the cover 23 in its nested position when the unit is on itsside, a lock MI is provided on side wall 25, which becomes the upperwall when the unit is resting on wall 21. As shown in detail in Figure11, lock I4! comprises a spring member I43 attached at one end to theoutside of wall 25 by such means as a rivet I45. The spring member has alatch portion I4! at its opposite end, the latch portion normally beingurged by the spring to extend through a slot I49 in wall 25, as shown bythe solid lines in Figure 9. When the cover 23 is in its lower position,a slot I5I in the seamed edge I35 is in alignment with slot I49. Ahandle I53 is mounted on spring member I43 to allow the latch to beretracted to the dot-dash position of Figure 11 so that the cover may bemoved into or out of its lower position. It will be observed that whenthe latch has entered slot I5I it will prevent the cover from beingmanually moved from its lower position and will also prevent the naturaltendency of the cover to tilt backwards due to the weight or the fanmotor.

In use, the drying and heating unit of my invention is operable eitherin its upright position shown in Figures 1 and 3 or in its side positionshown in Figures 8, 9 and 10. When in the upright position the unit maybe used'for drying,

preheating or storing dishes and silverware, and in this use of thedevice the cover is first removed and the desired dishes and otherutensils placed in rack Cover supports H9 and I2I are then moved totheir supporting position and cover 23 is placed thereon. It will beobserved by referring to Figure 1 that when in this position ampleclearance is afforded above rack 5! to accommodate dishes and otherutensils, and that any drippings will be allowed to how downwardly ontoplate 31 and out of the unit through space 39. If it is desired topreheat or dry the dishes the electrical terminals I55, which are wiredin a conventional manner to the fan and the heater elements, are thenconnected to a source of electrical power. The air currents from the fanwill then circulate in the upper part of the cover, being heated byelements H3 and H5, and the heated air will pass downwardly through thedish rack and its contents, and will fiow out of the unit through theperipheral space 39 between plate 31 and the casing. It will be notedthat due to the relatively large air space above the dish rack, amplecirculation will be allowed to permit the air currents to reach aneffective drying or heating temperature. It will also be ob served thatdue to the lateral spacing of heating elements I I3 and I I5 relative tothe air passageway IEIQ, the heating elements will not be subject torapid localized cooling due to direct air currents.

When it is desired to preheat, dry, or store small utensils or when theunit is to be stored, supports H9 and I2I are retracted and cover 23moved downwardly to its lower or nested position, latch I 41 beingretracted momentarily to allow the cover to be locked. It will beobserved that when in this position plate 9i clears the highest portionof rack 5|, and that the fan housing 9! is retracted entirely within theconfines of casing 2|, allowing the unit to be easily stored. HandlesI31 may conveniently be used to move the unit, and if rest arms I27 aremoved to their inwardly extending position they will act as additionalretaining means to prevent cover 23 from being withdrawn from thecasing.

In order to use the device as a space heater, for personal dryingpurposes or for drying small objects, the cover 23 is first locked inits lower or nested position within the casing and the latter is thenplaced on its side wall 21, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, so as to reston supports I39 and beaded edge 35 as heretofore described. The fan andheating elements are then energized, and warm air will flow through therack and toward the floor plate 3?. If the unit is being used as a spaceheater, floor plate 31 may be left attached to the unit, thereby actingas a baffle plate to radially spread the heated air which emanates fromperipheral space 39 evenly in all directions. If it is desired to have adirect flow of air into the room, or if the unit is to be used forpersonal drying purposes, the floor plate may be removed by pulling snapbuttons 45 out of apertured brackets II in which case the heated airwill flow horizontally from the casing. It will be observed by referringto Figure 8 that when the floor plate is removed, rack 5I will act as agrating to prevent harmful contact with the fan or the heating elements.It will also be noted that the portions 65 of wire element 53 will besubstantially horizontal and will together form a recessed shelf adaptedto support, for drying purposes, small articles such as brushes andcombs. The lock I4! will prevent the natural tendency of the cover totilt backward out of position due to the weight of fan motor 85, and thestable position of the cover together with its supporting legs 8|abutting flange 33 between wire elements 61 will keep the rack 5| in afirm position against flange 33.

Figure 12 shows a modified heater-supporting plate 91a having twoparallel recessed portions l5! and I59 within which heating elements Baand H511 are suspended by means of insulative brackets I Ila. Therecessed portions are spaced from side flanges IIlIa and I03a and fromair passageway IGSa, which may be of rectangular design, and are soproportioned as to allow air to circulate evenly around the heatingelements while at the same time keeping the latter entirely protectedfrom direct drafts due to the air current from the fan. It will thus beseen that the possibility of localized cooling of the heating elementswill be substantially prevented, and that a larger air space will beprovided in which the air drawn into the unit may be effectively anduniformly heated.

I have thus provided a combination heating and drying device of theclass described which is capable of varied uses, and which is simple,portable, and less costly than conventional devices of this nature. Thedevice may be efiective- 1y used as a rack for storing dishes andsilverware, or as a drier or preheater thereof. It may also be utilizedas a space heater or for personal drying, the dish rack in theseinstances acting as a protective grating, or may be used to dry smallarticles, in which case a portion of the rack also acts as a shelf tosupport such articles. When used as a dish drier the device will alsoafford an effective circulation of the heated air with optimum heatdistribution throughout the interior, and will avoid localized coolingdrafts on the heating elements to keep the latter at equal temperaturesthroughout their extent.

In the above description, the invention has been disclosed merely by wayof example and in preferred manner; but obviously many varia tions andmodifications may be made therein. It is to be understood, therefore,that the invention is not limited to any specific form or manner ofpracticing same, except in so far as such limitations are specified inthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a heating and drying unit of the class described, a casing, acover therefor operatively supportable relative thereto in an upper anda lower position, the cover in the upper position being disposed at thetop of the casing and in the lower position within the casing,retractable cover-supporting means on the casing adapted. to support thecover in said upper position, a dish rack within the casing, said coverhaving a roof disposed above the rack when the cover is in its saidlower position, and electrical heating means operatively disposed belowsaid roof, said casing having a floor peripherally spaced from thelateral sides thereof, whereby an outlet aperture is provided for dishdrippings and for heated air currents when the device is positioned on aside for use as a space heater.

2. In a heating and drying unit of the class described, a casing, acover therefor operatively supportable relative thereto in an upper anda lower position, retractable cover-supporting means on the casingadapted to support the cover in said upper position, a dish rackwithinthe casing, aid cover having a roofv disposed above the rack when"the-cover is in its said lower position, electrical heating meansoperatively disposed below said roof, and a fan attached to said coverand movable therewith, whereby said fan will be in closer position tosaid rack when said cover is in its said lower position, supports on thelateral walls of said casing operatively supporting the rack, the casinghaving a floor removably attached thereto, whereby there will be adirect fiow of air from said fan means out of said casing through saidrack.

3. In a heating and drying unit of the class described, a casing, acover therefor operatively supportable relative thereto in an upper anda lower position, retractable cover-supporting means on the casingadapted to support the cover in said upper position, a dish rack withinthe casing, said cover having a roof disposed above the rack when thecover is in its said lower position, electrical heating meansoperatively disposed below said roof, and a fan attached to said coverand movable therewith, whereby said fan will be in closer position tosaid rack when said cover is in its said lower position, supports on thelateral walls of said casing operatively supporting the rack, the casinghaving a floor removably attached thereto, whereby there will be adirect flow of air from said fan means out of said casing through saidrack, one lateral side of said casing being substantially flat, wherebythe unit can be set up thereon for us as a space heater.

4. In a heating and drying unit of the class described, a casing, acover therefor operatively supportable relative thereto in an upper anda lower position, the cover in the upper position being disposed at thetop of the casing and in the lower position within the casing,retractable cover-supporting means on the casing adapted to support thecover in said upper position, a dish rack within the casing, said coverhaving a roof disposed above the rack when the cover is in its saidlower position, and electrical heating means operatively disposed belowsaid roof, one lateral side of said casing being substantially flat,whereby the unit can be set up theron for use as a space heater, and aretractable lock on said casing releasably engageable with said cover,said lock comprising a latch mounted on a lateral wall of said casingand spring means urging said latch into locking engagement with saidcover when the latter is in its said lower position, whereby said coverwill be held against dislodgement when the unit is operativelypositioned on said flat side.

5. In a heating and drying unit of the class described, a casing, acover therefor operatively supportable relative thereto in an upper anda lower position, a dish rack. within the casing, said cover having aroof disposed above the rack when the cover is in its said lowerposition, electrical heating means operatively disposed below said roof,and retractable cover-supporting means on the casing adapted to supportthe cover in said upper position, said last-mentioned means comprising ahandle member mounted on a lateral wall of said casing and extendingoutwardly therefrom, whereby said member may serve as a handle for saidunit, and cover-supporting means integral with said handle member andextendible through said lateral wall, said supporting means beingmovable by said handle member between a retracted position exteriorly ofsaid casing and a cover-supporting position within said casing and insupporting relation with said cover when the latter is in its upperposition.

6. In a heating and drying unit of the class described, a casing, acover therefor operatively supportable relative thereto in an upper anda lower position, retractable cover-supporting means on the casingadapted to support the cover in said upper position, a dish rack withinthe casing, said cover having a roof disposed above the rack when thecover is in its said lower position, electrical heating meansoperatively disposed below said roof, and a fan attached to said coverand movable therewith, whereby said fan will be in closer position tosaid rack when said cover is in its said lower position, the casinghaving a floor removably attached thereto, whereby there will be adirect flow of air from said fan means out of said casing through saidrack, the rack having an upwardly recessed portion, whereby when theunit is operatively supported on a lateral side of said casing saidrecessed portion will serve as a receptacle adapted to hold an articlefor drying.

'7. In a heating and drying unit of the class described, a casing, acover therefor operatively supportable relative thereto in an upper anda lower position, retractable cover-supporting means on the casingadapted to support the cover in said upper position, a dish rack withinthe casing, said cover having a roof disposed above the rack when thecover is in its said lower position, electrical heating meansoperatively disposed below said roof, and a fan attached to said coverand movable therewith, whereby said fan will be in closer position tosaid rack when said cover is in its said lower position, the casinghaving a floor removably attached thereto, whereby there will be adirect flow of air from said fan means out of said casing through saidrack, the rack having a plurality of parallel wire elements withinwardly bent intermediate portions disposed in a substantiallyhorizontal plane when the unit is supported on a lateral side of saidcasing, whereby said intermediate portions will together form a shelfadapted to hold an article for drying.

8. In a heating and drying unit of the class described, a casing, acover therefor operatively supportable relative thereto in an upper anda lower position, retractable cover-supporting means on the casingadapted to support the cover in said upper position, a dish rack withinthe casing, said cover having a roof disposed above the rack when thecover is in its said lower position, electrical heating meansoperatively disposed below said roof, and a fan attached to said coverand movable therewith, whereby said fan will be in a closer position tosaid rack when said cover is in its said lower position, a floordetachably secured to the casing, whereby upon anoperative removal ofthe floor the unit may be supported on one of its sides to serve as aspace heater, the said rack being apertured, whereby it will serve bothas a protective guard and an outlet for fan currents.

ALFRED T. MANACHER.

REFERENCES CITED ihe following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

